Sermons address Aurora tragedy

AURORA, Colo. — A litany of prayers — preaching love and forgiveness rather than condemnation — were heard Sunday morning across Aurora.

At Aurora Hills Baptist Church, assistant pastor Zac Clark spent part of the service talking about the parents of James Holmes — the 24-year-old alleged gunman who was taken into custody after a shooting at a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" at a movie theater Friday.

"What are they going through right now?" Clark asked his congregation. "They're thinking, 'Where did I miss up? The whole world is going to hate us because we raised a monster. Because we did this.'"

"And I felt horrible," he said. "No parent wants to raise a kid who ends up doing something like this."

He said what Holmes' parents need now is comfort and prayers — along with 12 people killed early Friday morning. While he hopes justice will be served in this case, he reminded the crowd it wasn't their place to do so.

Clark was grateful some of the members of his youth group who had planned to attend the premier of "The Dark Knight Rises" had opted instead on church camp. He reminded people that after forgiveness they should "be bold in their faith."

"We're here as a church to help our community. ... If you see somebody in tears, take that opportunity to pray with them. To just be someone who can listen to them, someone to give a shoulder to cry on. That's what we're called on as the church. To really step up to be that light in such a dark world."

At another Aurora church, Harvest Christian Center, about 300 gathered for the morning's two services honoring those victims lost Friday.

"The message was really just that," Bishop Kevin Foreman said about the church's "We Will Rise" service.

A special prayer was said for the victims and their families, and their photos were shown. To Foreman's knowledge, none of the victims' families were present.

The congregation was not directly affected by the shooting, but one member had a brother who was shot in the leg.

On Friday, Foreman said, he spoke with the mayor's office and Aurora Police Department to see what they needed.

"I knew we needed to get to work," he said Sunday after the services. "Not talk, but actually do something."

As a result, the church delivered breakfast burritos, juice and doughnuts to feed about 50 officers Sunday morning.

On Friday the church's food bank saw a spike in calls for help — a number Foreman said may be related to the number of people displaced while officers secured the area around Holmes' apartment.

Foreman said it was too early for him to talk about forgiveness in connection to the shooting for several reasons.

Not enough is known about the case at this time, he said, and another is people sometimes interpret forgiveness as a sign to those suffering to get over their grief.

"We believe God can take tragedy and turn it into triumphs," Foreman said.

Joel Hirsch, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel of Aurora, said the church is setting up a fund to collect money for families of those who lost a loved one. On Friday he and five other church members were at Gateway High School waiting with families as they waited for news.

Mostly they just listened.

"You're bearing their burdens with them," Hirsch said.

A group of 34 young adults from the church were at the theater that night — including at least one young man who knew AJ Boik, a student who was killed. Calvary and Aurora Hills are raising money for victims' families.

Hirsch said Sunday morning's service at Calvary was focused on understanding.

"God gives meaning to all those things," Hirsch said, "and he's allowed it for a purpose."